Logo

 

Banner Image:   Baptist-Times-banner-2000x370-
Template Mode:   Baptist Times
Icon
    Post     Tweet

God Among the Ruins by Mags Duggan 

With a careful study of Habakkuk, this is a book to savour, giving the reader fresh insight into submitting one's life into the caring arms of the Almighty  

 


God among the ruinsGod Among the Ruins
By Mags Duggan
Bible Reading Fellowship
ISBN 978 0 85746575 5)
Reviewed by David Stuckey 


When I was a lot younger my mum gave me her copy of God in The Slums written by Hugh Redwood in the 1930s. It was not an easy read for a young lad but I have revisited it several times in the intervening years and have come to appreciate its sincerity and its poignancy. It told of finding God's presence in unlikely places, in the midst of trial and tribulation, and at times it could be an achingly poignant read.  

I have come across few accounts of loss and despair over the years to come close to Redwood's image of abiding faith - until now. Mags Duggan has similarly identified God's goodness and guidance in times of trial and torment. "Trust and transformation in difficult times," she suggests, as her opening reflection in God Among the Ruins repeats familiar words from Habakkuk : "Even though … even here ... Emmanuel". At times when God seemed distant, when crops failed, when death and devastation abounded, Habakkuk was able to declare "Yet I will rejoice". 

Mags gives her readers an achingly personal reflection of coming to terms with the death of her young niece from cancer, and those words she found which resonated with her in these circumstances came from another who clung to his faith in God in harrowing circumstances. The words of Eric Liddell, the Olympic runner and missionary who died in a Japanese prisoner of war camp came to her, "sparking the hope of healing and new life," she writes. Liddell had declared "Circumstances may appear to wreck our lives and God's plans, but God is not helpless among the ruins." 

This is a book to savour, to dip into for comfort and support, to reflect on personal circumstances and to appreciate the rewards of faith and Christian support. And having unwrapped and dissected Habakkuk in many helpful and meaningful ways, the author then reveals that she too was diagnosed with breast cancer on the day she submitted the manuscript for publication.

This is a book to make you weep and wonder, as it gives the reader fresh insight not only into living with cancer but also submitting one's life into the caring arms of the Almighty.  
 

David Stuckey is a journalist and member of Maghull Baptist Church, Merseyside 


 

Baptist Times, 25/05/2018
    Post     Tweet
My Big Story Bible by Tom Wright 
'Wright is retelling the stories in an accessible way in something closer to the whole Bible, with his inclusions of the books of the prophets and the New Testament letters'
Clever Cub Forgives a Friend, and Invites Someone New, by Bob Hartman  
Latest titles in series which takes the world of the child seriously and then tries to choose appropriate stories from the Bible to address their experiences - relevant and readable
The Hardest Problem: God, Evil and Suffering by Rupert Shortt 
'Not only helpful to Christians but worth passing on to thoughtful unbelievers who find the problem of evil and suffering an obstacle to belief'
Heroes or Villains by Jeannie Kendall 
'A gem of a book, thoughtfully and insightfully exploring the qualities we share with Bible characters'
Poverty, Riches and Wealth by Kris Vallotton
A book which makes you think with sections you might disagree with - but the golden thread that you are wealthy in proportion to your generosity, not according to your riches - is an excellent, Biblical principle
Lydia by Paula Gooder 
'Thoroughly recommended, not just as a historical novel, but also as a useful reference book kept close to the regularly-used commentaries'
     Reviews 
    Posted: 01/03/2024
    Posted: 22/09/2023